Zotac H87 review: 27 facts and highlights

1. RAM speed

It can support faster memory, which will give quicker system performance.

1600MHz

MSI X299 Raider: 3466MHz

2. fan headers

Fan headers are connection points on the motherboard that cooling fans can be connected to. Fans can also be connected straight to the power supply, but when connected to the motherboard you gain much finer control over them through software.

2

Asus Sabertooth X99: 12

3. maximum memory size

The maximum amount of memory (RAM) supported.

16GB

Asus Z10PE-D16 WS: 1024GB

4. SATA 3 connectors

SATA is an interface used to connect mass storage devices such as hard drives and Blu-ray drives. SATA 3 has a native transfer rate of 6 Gbit/s, which is twice as fast as SATA 2, the previous revision. This is particularly useful if you use an SSD as it can perform at higher speeds.

0

MSI 990FXA-GD80: 12

5. Signal-to-Noise ratio (DAC)

When an audio chipset converts a digital audio signal to an analogue one (for example when playing an MP3 on your speakers), a certain amount of noise is added. A higher SNR means that there is less added noise and the audio quality is better.

95dB

Gigabyte Aorus X299 Gaming 9: 127dB

6. PCIe 3.0 x16 slots

PCIe slots allow you to connect peripherals to the motherboard, most commonly graphics cards but also others such as sound cards and network cards. The ‘x16’ represents the number of lanes it has, with more lanes supporting higher data transfer rates. PCIe 3.0 offers higher transfer rates than PCIe 2.0, and can give increased performance.

1

Asus Prime X299-Deluxe: 12

7. memory slots

More memory slots (also known as DIMM slots) allow you to add more RAM to your computer. It is also useful when upgrading, as you can add RAM to an empty slot instead of replacing an existing memory module.

2

Asus Z10PE-D16 WS: 16

8. Supports RAID 1

RAID is a storage technology that combines multiple disks into one unit. RAID 1 mirrors the data across the drives. This gives you greater data security as if one drive fails, the data will still be accessible from another.

Zotac H87

80% have it

9. has a HDMI output

Devices with a HDMI or mini HDMI port can transfer high definition video and audio to a display.

Zotac H87

73% have it

10. USB 3.0 ports (through expansion)

The motherboard has USB 3.0 headers, which are pin connections that you can connect additional USB ports to.

2

Asus X79 Deluxe: 8

11. USB 2.0 ports (through expansion)

The motherboard has USB 2.0 headers, which are pin connections that you can connect additional USB ports to.

4

Asus P8Z77-V Pro/Thunderbolt: 10

12. USB 3.0 ports

More USB 3.0 ports allow you to connect more devices to your computer that support USB 3.0. USB 3.0 is an improved version of USB 2.0 which offers faster transfer rates.

4

Asus Z87-Pro: 14

13. Supports RAID 5

RAID is a storage technology that combines multiple disks into one unit. RAID 5 stripes the data across the drives, giving increased performance compared to a single disk. It also provides greater data security as if one drive fails, the data will still be accessible from another due to the use of parity.

Zotac H87

70% have it

14. warranty period

When covered under the manufacturer’s warranty it is possible to get a replacement in the case of a malfunction.

15. Supports RAID 0

RAID is a storage technology that combines multiple disks into one unit. RAID 0 stripes the data across the drives, giving increased performance and capacity compared to a single drive. The drawback is that if one drive fails, you lose the data on all drives.

Zotac H87

80% have it

16. RJ45 ports

RJ-45 ports are used for LAN (Local Area Network) connections. With more ports you can achieve increased bandwidth across a LAN, or connect to multiple networks. It also has the added benefit of not losing connection to the network if one fails.

1

Gigabyte GA-6LXSV: 5

17. Has S/PDIF Out port

S/PDIF is an interface used to transmit digital audio with high fidelity.

Zotac H87

66% have it

18. DisplayPort outputs

Allows you to connect to a display using DisplayPort.

1

Asus Prime Q370M-C: 2

19. USB 2.0 ports

More USB 2.0 ports allow you to connect more devices to your computer that support USB 2.0.

2

Asus Sabertooth 990FX: 10

20. PCI slots

PCI slots allow you to connect peripherals to the motherboard, most commonly graphics cards but also others such as sound cards and network cards. PCI has been superseded by PCI Express which offers faster data transfer rates, but many cards today still use PCI.

2

Gigabyte GA-P85-D3: 4

21. audio connectors

More connectors means that more audio devices such as speakers or microphones can be connected.

5

EVGA Classified SR-2: 10

22. CPU sockets

The motherboard has more CPU sockets. Multiple CPUs are typically used in servers.

1

Gigabyte G1 Sniper M5: 4

23. DVI outputs

Allows you to connect to a display using DVI.

1

Asus TUF Z370 Plus Gaming: 1

24. audio channels

Each channel is a separate stream of audio information. More channels can provide a more realistic experience, such as providing surround sound.

8

Gigabyte G1 Sniper Z5: 10

25. PCIe x1 slots

PCIe slots allow you to connect peripherals to the motherboard, most commonly graphics cards but also others such as sound cards and network cards. The ‘x1’ represents the number of lanes it has, with more lanes supporting higher data transfer rates.